Playoff-Perfect Royals One Win From 2014 World Series

If there was ever a time to go on a winning streak, this would be it.

USA Today reports that the Kansas City Royals have taken a commanding 3-games-to-none lead over the Baltimore Orioles by winning Game 3 of the American League Championship Series 2-1. The next Kansas City win, unless the Orioles can come back and sweep the next four games, will put the Royals in the World Series for the first time since 1985, which was the last time the Royals won the World Series, and the last time the Royals made the playoffs.

The Royals played “small-ball” to perfection once again, scoring their runs on a ground out and a sacrifice fly, and getting flawless relief pitching to win their seventh consecutive postseason game this season and 10th in a row overall.

In his first postseason start, Jeremy Guthrie allowed one run in five innings and the combination of Jason Frasor, Kelvin Herrera, Wade Davis and Greg Holland kept the Orioles scoreless the rest of the way to put the Royals within one win of the World Series.

The Royals’ playoff play is quite simple, yet perfectly effective thus far. Much of what Royals manager Ned Yost has done in the postseason has followed a similar script. But no one can argue with the results.

The first step in the Yost Plan is to use a pinch-runner for right fielder Nori Aoki in the late innings. And when Aoki predictably singled to lead off the sixth, Yost called on Jarrod Dyson to run.

Although Dyson didn’t try to steal second, he went from first to third on Eric Hosmer’s single and came home with the go-ahead run on Billy Butler’s sacrifice fly.

With the one-run lead in hand, Yost went to his reliable bullpen trio of Kelvin Herrera, Wade Davis and Greg Holland to close out yet another victory.

The New York Times reports that even when the Orioles took a 1-0 lead in Game three, the first time the Orioles had led in the ALCS, they were still unable to hold it. Still, Orioles manager Buck Showalter is confident about the series.

“I always feel like the momentum can change,” Showalter said. “If we can get one under the belt and get a few things to work our way, we feel like we can get it spinning the other way. Otherwise, we shouldn’t show up tomorrow.”

The Royals will look to close out the ALCS at home in Kaufmann Stadium, sending Jason Vargas to the mound against Miguel Gonzales.

[Image courtesy of USA Today Sports]